5 Easy Tips for Fighting Poverty

The topic of poverty is discussed a lot these days with refugees in Syria, war in the Congo, and even economic struggles here in the United States. It seems that poverty is affecting everyone these days. But the silver lining is that things are getting better. Anti-poverty campaigns in South East Asia, Latin America and Africa are really doing amazing things to help the poorest of the poor.

So how can you help the fight against poverty and really make a difference? Well, the good news is that you don’t need to hop on a plane and fly to Bangladesh (although that would be great!) Let’s look at a few simple things that you can do to help end hunger.

1. Pray to end poverty

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2)

Did you know that prayer is the most effective weapon we have as Christians? God hears every prayer and responds in His will. By praying for the Lord’s hand to be moved toward the most vulnerable, we are fulfilling one of our most vital mandates. It is our duty to continually pray and lift up those in need. In fact, the only real solution for those in need comes from God.

2. Speak to your church leaders

Bring to your church prayers and concerns about the plight of those in need. Ask how your congregation is helping the widows and orphans (the downtrodden and vulnerable peoples of the world). Volunteer to start a campaign or to start a prayer group dedicated to praying for those in need. Every believer can be part of a ministry. See if your church is interested in partnering with FH.

3. Start a family poverty jar

Get the whole family involved with fighting poverty! When you find lose change on the sidewalk or under the sofa cushions, dump it into your poverty jar! At my house each child has three money jars – saving, spending and giving. Part of the giving fund also works as our poverty jar. My children saved up enough this year to buy a cow for a family in Africa. Imagine what your family could do!

4. Volunteer at Food for the Hungry

If you live in Phoenix, you can help a great deal by spending a day volunteering at our Global Service Center. We are always in need of volunteers to help us with projects. Also, did you know that FH supports many musical artists? How about volunteer to help out at a rock concert? Find out more about how you can help.

5. Sponsor a child

OK – so here is the big one. I’ll skip the “for a little more than a dollar a day” line and just say for giving $35 a month you can make a real impact on a real child with real needs. I know people are often skeptical of child sponsorship. I used to be hesitant, too. And then I started working at FH and saw lives being transformed. More than that, entire communities are being transformed through child sponsorship. It works. It does exactly what it’s supposed to – it meets a child’s needs through improving access to food, clean water, education and more. Please pray about sponsoring a child today.

So that’s it – five simple ways that you can make a dramatic impact in the fight against poverty. The important thing is to do something. It’s not your job to solve the entire problem of worldwide poverty, just pitch in and help. Anything you do is better than doing nothing at all. And together, as a team, maybe we can end extreme poverty in our lifetime.